December is in full swing, which means chillier temps are here. While the cold weather is a nice change of pace after a long, hot summer, it add some extra snags in event-planning when everything needs to be inside. But, the holidays are one of the most popular party planning times of the year! So, how do you pull off a great event when you can’t utilize the outdoors? Today we have a few tips that should help!

Start with the essentials.

What will you absolutely need to make your event a success? It’s winter, so you will likely need somewhere for guest’s coats to be stored. Do you need a dance floor? Space for mingling? A bar? Buffet tables?

Map out all of the things you will absolutely need and look at the space you will still have to work with. You can make sure the furniture fits with enough space to move between, and see what else you could work in. Is there room for a full photo booth?

Walk through your venue as a guest.

After you have things set up, take a quick walk-through of your party as if you were attending. Enter the front doors of your venue and walk through all of the steps you anticipate your guests taking, but imagine the room already full of people. Is it clear where guests can put their coats or purses? Are restrooms accessible and easy to see? Is there space for a line to form near the bar area or food tables without clogging up much-needed space. Walk yourself through the evening of a typical party-goer to make sure there aren’t any needs you haven’t taken care of.

You can also take this time to walk through the event with a fresh set of eyes on the way the room looks. Outdoor events are so forgiving when it comes to decor: you have so many natural elements that can make even the simplest venue pretty. When everything is inside a room with bare, white walls, you will want to take a step back after all of the work is done to make sure you don’t have any parts of the room that seem over-looked.

Want to personalize? Stay off the floor.

If you feel limited by the space you are in, think of ways to add decor and personal touches in ways that won’t add bulk to the room or take up the floor plan. For example, if you have limited space to work with already, this is not the event to add a massive photo booth. A social roaming booth may be optimal for your needs.

Personalized napkins, tabletop decor, monogrammed lighting, projectors, wall decor…thinking that decor should go up and above where your guests need to be standing and moving around adds layers of interest to a room and frees up space to move around.

As you plan your events this winter, use these tips to pull your parties off without a hitch! Your guests will thank you, and you’ll be able to hear them, because you’ll be enjoying your evening instead of running around putting out logistical fires! ;)